Meanings
blues1
- pluralplural of blue
blues2
- countableinformalplural normallyuncountableA feeling of sadness or depression.
I've got the blues today.
2 more examples
The blues have hit her hard, and she won't get out of bed.
If we had been allowed to sit idle we should all have fallen in the blues […]
1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLCSynonyms: blueness, blueness, tristesse, mirthlessness, crestfallenness, dejection, depression, despondency
- countablein pluralinformalplural normallysingularuncountableOne's particular life experience, particularly including the hardships one has faced.
Your blues is just like mine.
1 more example
Your blues are just like mine.
Synonyms: blueness, blueness, tristesse, mirthlessness, crestfallenness, dejection, depression, despondency
- countablein pluralinformalplural normallysingularuncountableThe negative emotional state produced by a particular action, occupation, experience, or idea.
I've got the lonely man's blues.
1 more example
If you work here long enough, you'll have the butcher's blues just like me.
Synonyms: blueness, blueness, tristesse, mirthlessness, crestfallenness, dejection, depression, despondency
- countableuncountableentertainmentA musical form, of African-American origin, generally featuring an eight-bar or twelve-bar blues structure and using the blues scale.
Many great blues musicians came from the Mississippi Delta region.
1 more example
A large portion of modern popular music is influenced by the blues.
- countablesingularuncountableentertainmentA musical composition following blues forms.
My next number is a blues in G.
- countableuncountableA uniform made principally of a blue fabric, and especially a full dress uniform thus colored.
They marched in their dress blues.
1 more example
You never planned on the bombs in the sand Or sleeping in your dress blues.
2007, Jason Isbell, Dress Blues - countableslanguncountabledrugsAny of various blue pills sold on the street, mimicking the appearance of prescription painkiller tablets.
blues3
- indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of blue
Blues4
- Any of several sports teams whose uniform is predominantly blue, such as:
- historicalinformalThe chariot-racing faction of the Roman circus and Constantinopolitan hippodrome that wore blue.
1 more example
'Constantinople adopted the follies, though not the virtues of ancient Rome,' wrote Edward Gibbon, 'and the same factions which had agitated the circus raged with redoubled fury in the Hippodrome.' Gibbon's judgment was that what produced the 'redoubled fury' in the Hippodrome was senseless hooliganism, and even though the Blues and Greens could be politicized upon occasion, they had no coherent aims, religious or political. Gibbon's successors had alternative suggestions, the most persistent of which has been that the Blues were supporters of religious orthodoxy and the Greens of Monophysitism.
2002, James Allan Stewart Evans, The Age of Justinian..., p. 38 - informalAustralian rules footballCarlton Football Club.
- informalrugby leagueNew South Wales.
- informalball gamesBirmingham City FC.
- informalball gamesEverton FC.
- informalball gamesChelsea FC.
- informalball gamesManchester City FC.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA feeling of sadness or depression.
nounOne's particular life experience, particularly including the hardships one has faced.
nounThe negative emotional state produced by a particular action, occupation, experience, or idea.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Medieval GreekΒένετοι“Blues”
- Latinvenetī“Sea-Blues”
- EnglishBlues
In reference to the ancient Roman and medieval Byzantine racing faction, a calque of Latin venetī (“Sea-Blues”) or factio veneta (“the sea-blue faction”) and Medieval Greek Βένετοι (Bénetoi, “Blues”).
More words from Latin, Medieval Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic بْلُوز, بَلُوز
- بْلُوز (blūz)musical form
- بَلُوز (balūz)musical form
Bulgarian блус
- блус (blus)musical form
Chinese Mandarin 藍調 /蓝调, 布魯斯 /布鲁斯
- 藍調 /蓝调 (lándiào)musical form
- 布魯斯 /布鲁斯 (bùlǔsī)musical form
Danish blues
- bluesmusical form
Esperanto bluso
- blusomusical form
Finnish blues, blues
- bluesmusical composition
- bluesmusical form
French blues
- bluesmusical form
German Trübsal, Blues
- Trübsalfeeling of sadness
- Bluesmusical composition
- Bluesmusical form
Greek μπλουζ
- μπλουζ (blouz)musical form
Hebrew בלוז
- בלוז (bluz)musical form
Hindi ब्लूज़
- ब्लूज़ (blūz)musical form
Irish gruaim
- gruaimfeeling of sadness
Italian malinconia, paturnie
- malinconiafeeling of sadness
- paturniefeeling of sadness
Japanese ブルース
- ブルース (burūsu)musical form
Korean 블루스
- 블루스 (beulluseu)musical form
Māori puoro kōrangaranga, puoro kōrangaranga
- puoro kōrangarangamusical composition
- puoro kōrangarangamusical form
Persian بلوز
- بلوز (bluz)musical form
Polish chandra, blues
- chandrafeeling of sadness
- bluesmusical composition
- bluesmusical form
Portuguese tristeza, blues
- tristezafeeling of sadness
- bluesmusical composition
- bluesmusical form
Russian блюз, блюз
- блюз (bljuz)musical composition
- блюз (bljuz)musical form
Spanish murria
- murriafeeling of sadness
Swedish blues, blues
- bluesmusical composition
- bluesmusical form
Thai บลูส์
- บลูส์ (bloo)musical form
Turkish blues
- bluesmusical form
Ukrainian блюз
- блюз (bljuz)musical form
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with blues
Anagrams
Cite this entry
blues. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blues
“blues.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blues. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “blues,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blues.
Source: blues on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.